Census 2027 to have 40 questions, including details of caste, COVID vaccination, ID proofs
This is the first time caste will be enumerated in Independent India, other than that of Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Caste
The Union Government announced the questions for Population Census 2027 on August 14, 2026. Among the 40 questions, respondents will be asked to record their caste for the first time in Independent India, excluding Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. The "Scheduled Caste (SC)/Scheduled Tribe (ST)/Caste" will be an open column for respondents to declare their caste.
A pre-test, or rehearsal, was conducted from July 1 to 20 in 16 States and Union Territories, where respondents recorded their castes in an open column. Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, notified the questions that census officials would be authorized to ask during the census. Census officials can now collect 40 categories of information, including Aadhaar numbers, mobile numbers, voter IDs, bank account details, and Covid-19 vaccination information, wherever available.
The census will begin in Ladakh and snow-bound areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh on August 17, before the rest of the country, which will conduct the exercise in February 2027.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 4 other outlets
- Caste, COVID vaccine, bank accounts, voter/aadhaar: The big changes in census 2027 thehindu.com
- Caste, Covid Vaccine Location: Centre Notifies 40 Questions For Census 2027 ndtv.com
- Caste, Covid vaccination: Centre notifies 40 questions for Census Phase 2 starting next month hindustantimes.com
- Caste, bank accounts, Covid jabs: Census Phase-II to have 40 questions timesofindia.indiatimes.com
